What Chelsea's next owner must give Thomas Tuchel with summer transfer window refresh required

I think there will be a refresh in midfield, just how big that is will come down to the decisions of the next owners. There is concrete interest from Juventus in Jorginho and with just one year left on his contract, it may be the right time for the Italian to depart – for the right fee, of course.

"N'Golo Kante is in the same position in terms of his contract as Jorginho and there is a huge call to make over the Frenchman given he has struggled for form in 2022. Do Chelsea sell if a sizeable offer is received, perhaps from Paris Saint-Germain who are long-term admirers and may have Antonio Conte in charge next season? It's such a tough one, that.

"The alternative is Chelsea offer Kante a new deal because the last thing the club needs – and the last thing Thomas Tuchel wants – is another contractual situation overshadowing everything next season. So a decision will have to be made one way or the other.

: Thomas Tuchel must continue to trust in Jorginho as Chelsea star apologises to supporters

"In terms of the rest of the midfielders, Mateo Kovacic's position is set and Saul will return to Atletico Madrid at the end of his loan. Ross Barkley will be allowed to leave too. My gut feeling at the moment is Ruben Loftus-Cheek stays, partly because he is on a big contract that he won't get elsewhere but also because he's proved his versatility in recent weeks and having someone like that in the squad is a bonus.

"Conor Gallagher (unless something dramatic happens post-takeover) will join up with the first-team squad for pre-season and is expected to be given a role by Tuchel. Billy Gilmour could be reintegrated after his rather disastrous Norwich loan, but that's a call for Tuchel to make.

"In terms of signings, Chelsea had two